


Into the Bright Unknown

by lilithiumwords



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Isekai, M/M, Magic, Meant To Be, Minor Original Character(s), Romance, Sneaking Around, Thief Katsuki Yuuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-06 04:39:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17338754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilithiumwords/pseuds/lilithiumwords
Summary: To repay his debts, Yuuri sneaks into an ancient fortress to find treasure. Instead of gold and rubies, he finds something rather different -- and far more amazing.





	Into the Bright Unknown

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ICanSeeClearlyNow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ICanSeeClearlyNow/gifts).



> Happy holidays, Daffy! I was really excited when I drew your name ❤️ I hope you like it!

Katsuki Yuuri can only feel pain. His arms and legs, his back, even his face hurts. He tries to move, only to flinch back into his curled up position, not wanting to face the pain. Not even falling on the ice has caused this much pain. What happened to him?

"Oh, my. Leona, a boy has landed in my pumpkin patch."

Yuuri starts at the voice and opens his eyes. Standing above him is an older woman with deeply tanned skin and pale freckles on her cheeks. She has two long blue marks on her forehead, half-hidden beneath a straw hat. She peers at him in concern and kneels down, taking off a dirty glove to touch Yuuri's cheek.

"Dear, are you alright? You seem to have fallen out of the sky."

"One of those mysterious otherworlders?" says a new voice. Another old woman's face appears over the woman's shoulder, with orange markings and pale freckles. She frowns down at Yuuri in consideration. "Usually they show up in the north. Boy, can you understand me?"

 _Of course,_ Yuuri wants to say, but his thoughts muddle and stall before the words leave his tongue. The women aren't speaking Japanese or English, the only languages Yuuri knows. Yet Yuuri can understand them, and he _knows_ that if he opens his mouth and replies, that these people will understand him, too.

He closes his mouth, feeling sick.

"Leona, he must be in shock. Let's get him inside and warm up some soup for him," says the first woman, and the second gives a sigh before reaching down to help Yuuri to his feet. Together, they take him into a cozy farmhouse, snug between a deep creek and a wide field full of growing vegetables. Yuuri accepts the cup of soup they give him and slowly comes back to himself. As he sits, the women tell him what happened.

Except to Yuuri, it sounds like a story.

The two women are Leona and Farra, a bonded couple who own this small parcel of land where they make a tidy living off their farm. They are citizens of the kingdom of Lodenia, a place Yuuri has never heard of before. According to Farra, she saw a bright light outside near her pumpkin patch, and when she came out to investigate, she found Yuuri lying there.

An otherworlder, she called him. Someone from another universe, who was brought to this place by magic or otherwise.

"They say the otherworlders are given second chances, that the powers that be take their souls and bring them here when they die there. Not that this place is any better than any other world," Leona says, clucking her tongue when Yuuri nearly drops his mug. "Finish that soup, boy, you're skin and bones."

"I... died?" Yuuri whispers, the first words he has spoken to these strangers. Both women stare at him, Farra's face softening in worry.

"You don't remember?"

Yuuri doesn't -- and yet he does. He was flying to America for his first international competition. Minako- _sensei_ had gone ahead of him to meet some people, and Yuuri was to follow, his first time flying alone. The captain came on over the intercom to mention turbulence. The plane began to fall...

Yuuri doesn't remember anything after that. He barely manages to tell the two old women about his memory, then can't bring himself to tell them anything else. His old life, gone in an instant... his mother, his father, his sister. Vicchan.

His whole world, destroyed.

They tell him other things -- that this world is full of warfare and monsters. That the kingdoms have fought against the Empire for years, and that a hundred years ago long ago, a demon king ruled the lands peacefully, until the humans defeated him and drove the demons to poverty. To Yuuri's surprise, the two old women reveal their pointed ears and small horns, identifying them as demons. They show him magic -- _magic of all things!_ \-- simple spells that help them tend the earth, ward their home.

Out of kindness, they offer Yuuri a place to stay. He can help them with the farm, and in return, they will feed him and let him live in the unoccupied room in the back. He is lucky for landing in Lodenia, they say, because everyone is free to practice magic here, as well as learn all sorts of trades and skills. In the Empire, everything is restricted, and as an otherworlder, Yuuri would have been snatched up for nefarious purposes.

It sounds like a fantasy game, in a way. Yuuri has read stories like this, where people get sent to other worlds, but he never thought it could be real. Maybe it isn't. Maybe this is a dream, and he will wake up, safe in his bed with Vicchan.

He doesn't wake up, though. Life goes on, and Yuuri has to learn to fit into this world, somehow.

~*~

_Four years later..._

On a small cliff below a massive, crumbling fortress, a slim figure stands alone, gazing up at the stone battlements. He twists a small gold coin over and over in his hands, the metal warmed from his fingers, though the wind that blows past is frigid. Armed guards walk along the edges of the fortress, imperials that are a little too rigid in their schedule, which will allow for a relatively easy intrusion.

The young man smiles. His name is Yuuri -- the only name he uses now. His family name was lost years ago when he came to this world alone. He was barely sixteen and lost his life in a plane crash, only to wake up in an unknown world of magic, demons, and adventure.

After four years of hard work, of staying with that kindly old couple who took him in, giving him shelter and food, Yuuri has made a small name for himself, along with a few debts that he must pay. Since coming to this world, Yuuri never felt so alone, despite the companionship of Leona and Farra -- they weren't his parents, and he had no other friends. He gained a few abilities after waking up -- stealth, strength, speed, even a substantial pool of magic for spells -- but he never really felt like he fit into this world. He was a skater, an artist of dance and movement, and yet here... he had to become a thief, a criminal, in order to survive.

He barely made it -- and still, he owes too much. The loan he took four months ago is due, and Yuuri must pay it soon, or else his freedom and the lives of the two people who took care of him will be forfeit. Yuuri doesn't want anything to happen to those people, not after the way they protected him, a lost boy in a new world.

Hopefully this fortress, located deep in the Wilds full of monsters and secrets, will contain enough treasure to pay off those debts. Yuuri wasn't aware that it was guarded by imperials, though. Imperial soldiers, the brawn of the great empire that has been conquering the lands of this world for years. Yuuri's home, tiny as it is, rests in one of the few kingdoms where the empire has yet to take over, given its own military might. Out here in the Wilds, though, the imperials can be anywhere.

Yuuri exhales and closes his hand around the gold coin, his only clue as to the treasure within the fortress. He memorized its printed sides a long time ago: on one side, a seven-pointed star, and on the other side, a pair of horns curling up from a skull. An odd coin, and the man who had given it to him seemed to think it was cursed. Yuuri has never bothered with this world's superstitions and beliefs, so he didn't care.

He glances at the coin again, wondering at its luck, then tucks it into a pocket inside his jacket and starts climbing, his custom-made gloves and boots providing easy grips on the shiny rocks. Best not to confront the guards; Yuuri's skill in stealth and subterfuge will help guide him through the fortress.

Even after four years, he still doesn't quite understand this world. Some of the customs are beyond his ken, and it shows when he deals with people for too long. Yuuri never got the hang of talking to people, working with them -- so he chose a quieter life, of black market goods and treasure diving. He sometimes gets hired for strange jobs, like stealing vases from mansions or passing keys to people who asked for them. With his limber body, toned from years of skating and dance, Yuuri finds it relatively easy to sneak into places undetected.

Life here is no simpler here than it was back on Earth. Politicians still talk big and take advantage of their citizens, the people work hard to have normal lives, and both corruption and happiness can be born anywhere.

Yet this world is also filled with monsters. Demons, for one thing -- who are no different from Yuuri and other humans. Demons look like humans with distinctive features, and they have somewhat different abilities. They usually lean more toward elemental magics, while humans tend to use spiritual and generic magics. Yuuri, to his surprise, has magic too, which he can use to heal minor injuries, and he even learned a few spells from his foster parents.

(Someday, he would love to learn more. Maybe when he is out of debt, he can attend one of those special magical schools and study all the spells that this world has to offer.)

The spells that Yuuri uses now, as he sneaks through a fortress full of imperial soldiers, are simple. Breaking in was easy; a window allowed Yuuri to slip inside with no alarms. He has cleared four floors already, though with little reward, and far too many encounters with bats. Now he intends to go to the lowest levels, in hopes that the treasures are hidden downstairs.

" _Flow aside, spirit of water, flow away and on,_ " Yuuri murmurs, his lips barely moving as he stands behind a tall, broken statue. Across the hallway, water pools up from the floor, forming a perfect sphere, which floats over to the nearby staircase that ascends to the next floor, which Yuuri just walked down. The bubble spills downward, coating the stairs with an even layer of water.

" _Freeze._ "

The water turns to ice. Yuuri surveys his work, then continues down the hall. If any soldiers come down here, they will slip on the ice and give him time to hide.

He passes the statue and glances up. The face and shoulder of the massive stone giant are gone, and Yuuri cannot help but wonder what was once carved there. He has no idea what this fortress once held. The Wilds are an unknown place, and his foster parents rarely told him anything about this side of the world, only warning him never to come here alone.

Yet here Yuuri is, alone.

He peers into every room he finds. For locked doors, Yuuri picks the locks himself, absently thanking the crafter of the steel tools he uses. He spent a pretty penny on these tools -- part of the loan that he needs to pay back -- and they have already proven useful time and again. He hopes that they help him for this mission, too, so that he can pay back what he owes.

Two pieces of his tools are very special, and Yuuri has only used them a few times. The tools are made of silver instead of steel, sharpened to a point, with tiny runes carved into the metal and deep red jewels fastened to the ends. Those tools are for magical locks, one that have been spelled against mundane picks.

They work, though. Yuuri almost hopes to find something special in this fortress so he can use them again.

None of the rooms wield any major treasure, though. Yuuri finds a library, but the books are in an ancient text that he cannot read, for all that he was gifted with this world's language when he came here. He does find a few old trinkets hidden in locked cabinets, mostly silver goblets and a gold ring with a massive black stone, but not enough to pay off his debts.

He continues. Upon nearing a corner that should take him to the next staircase, Yuuri hears an odd moaning noise, almost like a wail, and he stills. He recognizes that noise: the sound of a bogy. He grimaces, then reaches into one of the tiny satchels attached to his belt, pulling out a paper packet. He slowly inches forward, peering around the corner.

A great glowing ghoul floats slowly up and down the hall, with no face and long, tapered limbs hanging down from its blue sides. It lets out another strange wail, though Yuuri can see no mouth to form the noise, and a shiver runs through him. He carefully opens the packet, takes a deep breath, then darts around the corner and throws the contents at the bogy.

The powder, a dull gray and glowing faintly, hits the monster. It shrieks and immediately flies away, throwing itself over Yuuri's head as he ducks and rounding the corner he just came from. Yuuri takes off running as soon as the bogy leaves, not stopping until he reaches the staircase and can descend to the next floor.

The stairs seem to go on forever, but eventually, Yuuri makes it to the bottom floor. He hurriedly leaves another ice spell on the staircase and disappears into the nearest dark hallway, his heart beating fast in his chest.

Just in time, too -- because he hears footsteps nearby. Flinching, Yuuri ducks into a closet and closes the door silently, leaning close to the slight opening to listen.

"What the hell was that?" a soldier asks, sounding panicked.

"Just the bogy that haunts upstairs. Something must have startled it," another soldier replies dismissively. "If we raise a shield, we can get past it when we leave. Don't worry."

"Our shift is nearly over, right? I hate being down here..."

"Yeah, yeah. Tell you what, if we go now, we can probably avoid the bogy. It's not like the old bastard is going to care if we're here or not."

The footsteps move away, then pause.

"Who left ice on the staircase? Fuck, is that bogy an ice type?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter. This happens all the time. Light a fire and melt this shit, I want to get out of here."

Yuuri breathes out in relief. They don't seem to suspect that the ice came from a different source. He waits silently as the panicky soldier casts a fire spell to melt the ice, not moving until he hears the two soldiers go upstairs. No one comes to replace them in the next few minutes, so Yuuri carefully leaves the closet and slips away.

Sooner or later, they will figure out that he is in here. He hopes to be gone by the time they realize it.

He moves carefully down the hallway, aware that other guards might be lurking nearby. This area of the fortress seems pretty deep in the mountain where it rests. Fires have been lit in the sconces decorating the stone hallways, and many of the rooms are barred instead of hidden by doors, marking the space as the dungeons. The whole place seems to have a strange feel to it -- like an aura that Yuuri's senses can't quite comprehend. He has felt magic before, but this floor seems forbidden.

The perfect place for treasure.

He comes to another hallway, and at the end, the hallway widens ahead and dips, revealing a grand staircase that leads downwards into a massive room. Yuuri carefully scopes the room, but he sees no guards anywhere. He creeps to the edge of the staircase, then sucks in a breath.

The room is beautiful. Windows line one side of the room, made up of stained glass, and beyond the beautiful scenes they create, the sky and ocean glitter outside. The floor is made of silvery stones arranged in a careful circular pattern, etched with deep white lines that weave themselves into a massive spell circle. In the center of the circle is the statue of a man with long hair and shackles on his pale wrists and ankles. Yuuri realizes suddenly that the room is a ritual room, and he wonders at the creature who used it long ago for magic.

Then the statue lifts its head, and Yuuri goes still, realizing that the statue is _alive_. He starts to back away, afraid of the statue being a monster, a guardian of this room. The dangerous aura of this place becomes nearly oppressive for a moment -- and then suddenly, the sensation fades.

The statue smiles at him.

"How curious. A thief, come to my realm. You are not one of my guards."

Yuuri peeks over the railing and meets blue eyes from across the room. The man -- for he must be a man, not a statue at all, chained as he is to the floor -- smiles at him, and Yuuri is struck by the beauty in that smile. The man's hair is very long, falling nearly to the floor in a silvery curtain, and he is wearing odd clothes, a style that Yuuri can't recognize for all that he has traveled far in this realm. Something about his face... his smile -- he calls to Yuuri, bringing up old memories best left forgotten.

"You can come down, young thief. I shall not punish you for your explorations. Come, tell me your name and your secrets."

Yuuri furrows his eyebrows, bewildered by the request -- more an order than anything. Tell his secrets? Why on earth would he do that? He stares at the man, squinting a little past his glasses -- worn things that need to be replaced, but which suffice for his work. The man stares back, seeming a little nonplussed when Yuuri does nothing.

"Ah," the man says suddenly, his smile returning. "You must be an otherworlder. I forgot that my abilities have no effect on you. The miscreants who guard me carry talismans to protect themselves, but you have a different kind of protection. Do not worry, I will not call for the guards. I suppose that means you won't tell me your name, then?"

For a long moment, Yuuri debates what to do. He should probably run away. Anyone chained up in an imperial fortress must be dangerous. Yet something about the stranger calls to him. His face is familiar -- and suddenly Yuuri realizes who the man looks like.

A boy he used to admire back on Earth. Yuuri cannot remember his name any longer, but he remembers watching videos of the other boy's ice skating. He idolized that boy, working hard to skate like him, though one day, the boy disappeared in a mysterious crash. Yuuri kept skating in his memory.

How strange, that he cannot remember the boy's name.

"Yuuri," he says aloud, standing up straight and descending the stairs slowly. He keeps one hand on his dagger, the other behind his back on the pouch where his smoke bombs rest in a pouch. "My name is Yuuri. If you're not going to call the guards, then what do you want?"

The man lights up as he approaches, though Yuuri pauses several paces away, keeping his distance. "Why, only to talk! The only people to converse with are those wretched guards. Jail keepers, and the worst sort. But you... you are different, Yuuri," he purrs, leaning forward. His cuffs pull at his arms, and he stops with a small sigh, disappointed.

Yuuri's lips twitch. "You're very strange for a man to be imprisoned in an imperial fortress. I really shouldn't be talking to you... yet here I am. Fine, I'll talk with you for a bit. But if someone comes, I'm going to run and abandon you."

"Perhaps my charm works on you yet," the man says, then smiles widely. "Call me Viktor."

The name sends a shiver through him, reminding him of ice and music and longing. Yuuri shakes off the feeling and exhales, glancing over his shoulder before moving to a safer location, out of sight of the entrance to the great room. He crosses his arms and leans against a pillar, keeping some of his attention on the entrance, while the rest focuses on Viktor.

"Why are you here, Viktor?"

"I live here, of course. I have for many years, since I came to this place," Viktor says, shifting to sit on his knees. His feet are bare, and his clothes look thin, though made of a sinuous material that speaks of wealth, for all that they seem old. Yuuri wonders if the man is a demon, but he cannot see Viktor's ears through his long hair.

Viktor must have been here for a very long time, for his hair to be so long. Something about his words make Yuuri wonder if Viktor is like him, an otherworlder, but he thinks it unlikely. Even with his familiarity, he seems too well accustomed to this place.

"What about you, Yuuri? Why are you here?" Viktor asks curiously.

Yuuri hesitates, unsure how to answer. Something about Viktor makes him want to tell the truth; odd, because most of his work is in telling lies. He meets Viktor's eyes, debating. "Mostly for treasure," he says slowly, but Viktor only laughs, as if delighted. "I... owe a debt. This place is said to have a great hoard of gold, which I want to use to pay my debtors. If I can find it."

"It should still be hidden from those filth," Viktor says, cheerful. "I hid it myself long ago. I can tell you where it is, if you like."

Yuuri stares. "Why would you do that?"

"Well, because I like you. What's a favor between friends? Surely we must be friends now, Yuuri."

So Viktor wants something. Likely help to escape, though Yuuri has no idea how he would help Viktor get out of this massive fortress with dozens of imperial guards between them and the exit. He glances up at the windows, wondering if he can break out of one of them, though he doesn't want to destroy such beauty.

"What would you like in return?" Yuuri asks carefully. Viktor's smile is slow and dangerous, sending another shiver through Yuuri, but not because he fears his life. No, Yuuri isn't oblivious enough to miss how he is reacting to Viktor. Someone of such powerful beauty, smiling at him and treating him nicely? Looking like his old idol, too...

"Perhaps... you? It gets quite lonely here after all," Viktor purrs, and a hot feeling shudders its way through Yuuri. He licks his lips, not looking away from Viktor's vivid eyes.

Yuuri is no stranger to seduction. He has no lovers, yet he has performed that side of subterfuge, too; seducing old men and women in order to steal their belongings. He is aware that people find him attractive, though he hardly understands flirting and relationships. Better to have sex with someone and never see them again, then let himself become vulnerable.

This strange man makes him rethink that resolution.

He hears voices above, and the tension between them snaps as Yuuri ducks behind his pillar, seconds before soldiers spill into the room.

"Find him!" shouts a guard, the captain of the group that begins to stumble down the staircase. "I want that thief caught."

 _Shit._ How did they find out? Yuuri left no witnesses. Maybe they found the broken window he came in, or maybe they performed a magical search. Either way, Yuuri needs another way out, immediately.

He glances at Viktor. The man's mirth has faded to coldness, those bright eyes fixated on the soldiers at the top of the stairs. The other guards slow as they near Viktor, turning their wary attention on him and surrounding him with their weapons, giving Yuuri an opportunity to slip deeper into the shadows. With a swagger, the captain of the guards strolls down the stairs.

"You. Have you seen a thief come in here? We found an intruder on the scans."

"A thief? In my castle?" Viktor blinks, guileless and cruel. The captain sneers, and Viktor smiles up at him, cold as the ice Yuuri left on the stairs. "How fascinating that you believe your enemy has found their way to my little cell."

"Just answer the question," the captain demands. Viktor makes a show of considering, which makes Yuuri think that he taunts the guards often in his spare time. His lips twitch in amusement, before he focuses on examining the walls for any other exits. If Viktor gives him away, then Yuuri will need to act fast.

"Can't say that I have," Viktor says airily. "You should turn your attentions to the dungeons. I imagine they are in terrible shape after you tortured my servants, which would make for a perfect hiding place for a young thief."

The captain eyes Viktor for a long moment, then sends several of his guards out of the room. "Go check the dungeons now. The rest of you, search the room." Three of the guards branch off and begin to walk around the room, nearing Yuuri's hiding place, and Yuuri holds his breath.

"Why the interest in this thief? Your wretches have already plundered my halls." Viktor leans back on his hands, smiling lazily at the guards who do not dare breach his spell circle. Yuuri carefully pulls out a smoke bomb.

He needs to go. Yet he finds himself unwilling to leave Viktor behind, this stranger with his idol's face, the boy he cannot remember.

"He stole something important. Something of _yours_ ," the captain says pointedly, glaring down at Viktor. His cuirass is heavier than the other soldiers' armor, decorated in a heavy red sash. "Your ring, to be exact. I'd think you'd want that back."

Viktor blinks once, then sits up. "Oh," he breathes. Even this far away, Yuuri can see the glow of his eyes flare with interest. "How fascinating. That changes a few things, indeed. I'd like to call in that favor now, if you please."

"What the hell are you talking about?" the captain demands.

Yuuri pauses in his work and turns to stare at Viktor. Hidden in the shadows, Viktor cannot possibly see him, yet blue eyes flash his way anyway. He swallows, then runs his gaze over the room, thinking quickly as he counts the soldiers.

"I promise to pay your debts for you. All I need is the ring. Then everything you desire will be yours," Viktor promises. The cadence of his voice, the strength of his words -- Yuuri believes him, so help him. He trusts this strange man with someone else's face.

He has nothing else. There are no other exits from this room that Yuuri can find, and he cannot fight off twelve soldiers with a measly dagger.

"Shit, the thief is here! Find him!" the captain shouts, and that's when Yuuri acts.

A massive cloud of smoke explodes and fills the room, causing screams to erupt. Yuuri darts through the chaos and sprints over the edge of the spell circle to Viktor's figure, dropping to his knees and pulling out his silver tools, barely sparing Viktor a glance before he begins to pick at the handcuffs. The cuffs glow faintly as soon as Yuuri's tools touch them, but the enchantments on his tools hold true; the first lock clicks open.

"You agreed," Viktor whispers, as shadows dart beyond the edge of the circle.

"The people who raised me when I came here," Yuuri says quickly, as he starts on the second cuff. "They'll be in trouble if my debts aren't paid. If you _promise me_ that you'll pay them for me, if I can't get out of here --"

"You will escape, my dear Yuuri," Viktor murmurs. A warm hand wraps around Yuuri's arm, squeezing him briefly, and Yuuri glances up in surprise. Viktor smiles at him. "I will handle everything. The ring?"

"In my Bag of Holding," Yuuri says shakily, freeing Viktor's foot. Viktor reaches around his waist as Yuuri leans forward to unlock the next cuff, and Yuuri shivers to feel Viktor rummaging around in the bag. It takes a moment, which gives Yuuri time to unlock the last cuff. His hands are shaking. He is afraid; the smoke screen will clear soon, and if Viktor doesn't help him, then they are both dead.

Yet Yuuri's instincts have never failed him.

The last cuff clatters to the ground, echoing with a great clang. Viktor stands up slowly, opening his hand to gaze down at the gold ring with its massive black jewel, his eyes all but glowing. As the smoke around them settles and the soldiers turn to stare, their expressions shifting to horror, Viktor slides on the ring and smiles.

The spell circle lights up beneath Yuuri's feet, though the energy never touches him, instead coalescing around Viktor and erupting into a blaze of light. Yuuri covers his eyes, ducking down as light fills the room. He hears screaming and clangs of metal, until all of a sudden, the room is completely silent. Terrified, he does not move, until a gentle hand touches his shoulder.

Yuuri hesitantly looks up, finding the light gone, and the room empty of soldiers. Viktor smiles down at him and offers him a hand. Yuuri takes his hand, and Viktor pulls him to his feet, looking over him for any injuries. Yuuri can only stare at him.

"What did you do?"

"I raised the wards, and the pests were dealt with. They are in the dungeons now," Viktor explains, which is no explanation at all. Yuuri grabs his hand when it wanders to his hip, frowning at him. This close, Viktor is only a few inches taller than him, yet he seems to loom over Yuuri. He has changed, too; his ears are now revealed, showing delicate points, and impossibly, great horns seem to curl up from his head, the mark of a powerful demon. Viktor notices him staring and smiles slightly, though his eyes look worried.

"You do not seem frightened by my true self."

"The people I want to protect are demons," Yuuri says blankly, then blinks. "They took me in when I came here. I told you that, right?"

"You did. I had not realized they were demons, though." Viktor stays silent for a moment in contemplation, then smiles again, starting up the stairs. Yuuri follows him, surprised to realize that Viktor has not let go of his hand. "I suppose I guessed correctly, that you are an otherworlder. Will you tell me about it?"

Yuuri bites down on his lip. "It's a long story."

"I will listen, if you wish to share it."

They step into the hallway, and the fires in the sconces grow brighter, illuminating the entire space. Yuuri follows Viktor through the hallway, glancing at their entwined hands and fighting back a small blush. He doesn't reply for some time, unsure what to say, how to explain his strange past.

Every hallway gleams now, as if the magic from Viktor's light has cleansed the fortress of its dark aura. Doors open as Viktor approaches, revealing shining rooms within, full of treasures and wonderful things that Yuuri itches to explore, curious about how Viktor hid everything. Yuuri's ice magic, the bogies and other foul beasts, and any hints of the soldiers are all gone. Viktor gives him a small smile, not minding that Yuuri has not spoken for some time, leading him up to a wide, circular balcony that looks over the massive land in front of the fortress, full of crumbling ruins.

They stop at the railing and gaze outward. Beyond the edge of the fortress, wards glitter in the air, creating a shield made from delicate spellwork that is more powerful than anything Yuuri has ever seen.

"Shall I tell you a secret, Yuuri?"

"If you think you can trust me."

Viktor smiles at him. His hair trails nearly to his feet, a curtain of silver, and Yuuri finds his eyes wandering to it, wondering if Viktor would mind if he touched it. Viktor squeezes his hand.

"I am certain I can trust you. After all, your name is not from this world, just as mine is not. You... are from Earth, aren't you?"

Yuuri inhales sharply and steps away, his heart beating fast. Viktor lets him go, his smile turning sad, and Yuuri stares at him, torn between running and reaching forward to wipe that sad smile away.

"I thought so," Viktor murmurs. "May I tell you my secret, Yuuri?"

"You're from Earth?" Yuuri whispers, stunned.

"Russia, to be exact. Do you know of it?" Viktor asks, strangely keen, and Yuuri nods slowly. Viktor's face lights up. "Ah, Yuuri... that is amazing to hear. When I came here, no one knew of Earth or its countries. I had died in a car crash... do you know of cars?"

Yuuri blinks a few times. Something about Viktor's story sounds very familiar. "Of course I know of cars. Why..."

Viktor chuckles softly. "Because sometimes, people like you and me do not come from the same time as us. I have met otherworlders who were born centuries before me, but who came here after me. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to who gets deposited here, nor when. I have tried to study it, but the meaning behind the pattern eludes me..."

Yuuri clears his throat, his hands clenching at his sides. He needs to know more. Viktor glances at him again, then smiles in understanding.

"When I came here, I was alone, and I had little idea what happened to me... how confused I was! But this world seemed to suit me, for I was able to amass power quickly. It changed me, and after many years of dedicated study, my form transformed to what you see here."

Viktor gestures to his horns, smiling when Yuuri's gaze darts up to fixate on them. "Legends of this world paint me as the Demon King, as you might have suspected. I was powerful enough to become this world's ruler... only to be dragged down by those filthy soldiers. They learned of my true past and swore to eradicate all people like me... otherworlders. There were others like me, and you. I cannot imagine what they have faced because I let the truth be known," Viktor says softly, his gaze turning to the distance, where the horizon has begun to lighten with dawn.

"So they have kept me here for far too long... I do not understand why I still live. I suppose magic has turned me immortal. I do not know the year, nor the state of my people... only what those wretches would tell me, and I doubted all of them for liars. Will you tell me of this world, Yuuri? And... of our own?"

Yuuri steps forward, reaching up to take Viktor's hand. His own hands are shaking. He knows now where he recognized Viktor's face, his name, even the description of his death. If Viktor is from Earth, then... it has to be true. "Yes. Yes, of course. I'll tell you everything. I'm... I'm sorry, I wonder... are you... Viktor Nikiforov?"

For a long moment, Viktor only stares at him. Something in him seems to tremble, and then he sinks to his knees, clutching the clothing over his chest. Yuuri drops down with him, gripping Viktor's shoulders as he gasps.

"Viktor?!"

"I have not heard that name in six hundred years," Viktor whispers, then reaches up to wrap his arms around Yuuri and crush him against his body. "You... you know of me."

"You were a figure skater. I idolized you," Yuuri admits in a hush, his eyes stinging as Viktor stares at him as if never seeing him before. "You disappeared when I was fourteen... I... I skated, to honor your memory. Then when I was sixteen, I died in a plane crash and came here. I've been here for four years... but you've been here for centuries?"

Viktor opens and closes his mouth, then reaches up to touch Yuuri's face, carefully stroking his cheek in wonder. "Between here and there, time does not exist in a linear fashion. There is no telling when... or from when, another otherworlder will appear. I never thought..."

"I can't believe it's you," Yuuri murmurs. The memories he pushed to the back of his mind are coming back the longer he looks at Viktor's face. He remembers seeing Viktor for the first time on a tiny screen at the rink and being impressed with his grace. Learning of Viktor's disappearance, the strange crash with no body, had devastated him. Yet here is Viktor... alive, in another world.

"I can't believe you know me." Viktor's thumb presses against Yuuri's ear, before he leans forward to rest their foreheads together. His horns, curling forward at Viktor's temples, nudge against Yuuri's hair. "I have never met anyone who knew me before. They were always from other times."

Yuuri closes his eyes at the soft touch. He cannot imagine living for so long, nor being trapped in chains for a hundred years. Viktor seems sane, for all that he has changed from the bright, shining boy Yuuri admired years ago. Yet Yuuri has changed, too; and Viktor accepts him anyway, despite never knowing him.

"What now?" Yuuri asks quietly, opening his eyes. He finds Viktor smiling at him.

"Now, I shall return to my rightful place as King of these lands and unite my people once more. And... you are welcome to stay with me. I will take care of your debts, and your precious people... just stay by my side, Yuuri. That is all I ask," Viktor pleads quietly, his fingers finding Yuuri's and entwining together with them.

Yuuri has only one answer to that.

"Yes, Viktor. I'll stay," Yuuri whispers, before leaning up to steal one last thing. The kiss takes them both by surprise, but they melt into it, into each other. Now they can know one another, more than the two boys who loved to skate. Yuuri, a simple thief, and Viktor, the Demon King. Yuuri finds himself looking forward to the future, now.


End file.
